The Enigma of <i>Prevotella copri</i>

Prevotella copri , the most abundant Prevotella species in the human gut also associated with habitual diet, represents one of the clearest cases of dissimilar associations with either health or disease. This chapter summarizes the recent knowledge about P. copri and the potential of this bacterium as a valuable member of the healthy human microbiome. Prevotella copri DSM 18205 is the only commercially available type strain that has been the gold standard for all P. copribased research. Gut microbiota composition is known to vary greatly between healthy individuals. The Prevotella -dominated microbiomes have been shown to occur in populations consuming agrarian fiber-rich diets, such as indigenous populations in Africa and South America. P. copri strains associated with omnivore diets had a higher functional capacity for branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis.